Sheikh of Sheikhs, visitor of the last and the first
cities and the explorer of the sea of knowledge and practice, His
Excellency Nour Ali Shah the First. His honorable name: Mohammad Ali.
After being initiated into dervish-hood and having obtained permission
to guide, was endowed with the title Nour Ali Shah. Right from his youth
he was in search of the straight and righteous path. His Excellency had
a handsome face and spiritual excellence and in the levels of internal
rank was unique during his age. He was originally from the town of Toon
in Khorasan (presently Ferdows) but as his elevated great grandfather
immigrated to Isfahan, he and his father were born in Isfahan. Since his
great grandfather belonged to the religious authorities and category of
the learned men, consequently in accordance with heritage in the
beginning, he also engaged in the study of external sciences and was
perfected in Arabic sciences and literature art, but in the external
sciences did not obtain the benefits he was looking for, and
accomplishing it, did not open an inner door to him. Therefore, stepped
into the arena of search, after lots of pursuit, accompanying with his
great father Faiz Ali Shah, reached the presence of His Excellency Masum
Ali Shah. Both father and son were initiated into dervish-hood and under
his kindness reached perfection and obtained permission to guide and
lead. His Excellency, Faiz Ali Shah passed away in the year 1199 Hijri
and His Excellency Nour Ali Shah after traversing ranks of perfection
was appointed as vicegerent of His Excellency Masoum Ali Shah.

His Excellency Nour Ali Shah has great rights and
massive indebtedness upon the mystics of Iran, wayfarers and dervishes
of this area, because it was quite sometimes that, the ways and customs
of tarighat and even the thought for searching the truth had faded away
from Iran due to disorder, anxiety, and circumstances of Iran. Since the
mid of the monarchy of Shah Sultan Hussein Safavi up to the end of the
rulership of Karim Khan Zand, the affairs of the country was an agitated
state, the negligence of the Kings and authorities of the government had
left nothing for the people from the heavenly world to think and find
the way to the truth and tarighah.

Such year of famine had occurred in Damascus

That the friends forgot love.

From this point of view the teachings
of Gnosticism and dervishhood was completely wiped out from the
memories, till near the end of Shah Sultan Hussein's time, the abasement
of the intellect, his negligence and suggestion of the learned of the
schools, persuaded that feeble minded king to oppose the principles of
dervish hood and Gnosticism, till finally by the hands of Afghans, he
obtained the retribution for his negligence, and received the results of
extinguishing fireplace of his father and ancestors. After the Afghans
gained dominance, besides their excessive oppression and tyranny, that
they were nothing but a bunch of bandits and plunderers, did not give
the people the opportunity to meditate on the affairs of the beyond to
safeguard the soul except to procure a piece of bread. After the Afghans
bandits, Nader possessed the ownership of the country, for he also was a
swindler Turk and unjust fighter and thug and except war and bloodshed,
triumph and victory on the adversary, had nothing else in his mind and
with the purport of the idiom “the people
are in the religion of their King”
generally made the citizens of Iran to obey his ways.

After Nader Shah, an ignorant and foolish Lor, but
just, fair seeking and equitable, by the name of Karim Khan Zand
defeated Iran who by no means had any perception for science and
knowledge and Gnosticism, totally was unaware of these realms. From this
point of view, nearly for sixty years Iran was deprived from the
fragrance of knowledge and Gnosticism and gentle faith and was barren
and separated from the presence of devotees and wayfarers of the arena
of faith, till from the kindness of God, the renewer of the order Seyed
Masoum Ali Shah on the order of His Holiness Shah Alireza Deccani from
Hyderabad, set out for Iran and guided and trained His Excellency Nour
Ali Shah, endeavored and reached him with his own grace and blessings to
the apex of perfection during the end of the monarchy of Karim Khan Zand.
His Excellency Nour Ali Shah during travelling or at home, during the
times of relaxation or danger was always attentive and careful of his
noble and spiritual guide, till he attained eligibility of his
succesorship and was endowed the title “Nour Ali Shah”. His Excellency
Seyed Masoum Ali Shah at that time when leaving from Heart for Kabul and
India, missioned Nour Ali Shah to go to Iran. He arrived in Isfahan and
after stopping sometime with Mushtaq Ali Shah and accompanying with a
group of disciples departed for Kerman. After the tragic event of the
martyrdom of Mushtaq Ali Shah, went to Shiraz and received lots of
persecution and vexing from Lutfali Khan Zand, thence journeyed to and
lived close by the Holy Shrines in Atabat - Iraq.

Since His Excellency endeavored a lot, in
manifestation of guidance and invitation to wayfarers, his fame and
greatness spread out and found prestige in that country, the spiteful
and the corrupt started to accuse him of claims of kingship and
gathering disciples with the intention of preparation of power and glory
in front of the Emirs and Kings and the religious clergies; and peaceful
people defamed him for lack of preservation of religious laws, but
despite of all such situations, every town and region he would pass, the
people involuntarily surrounded him and followed him, and sometimes
during walking, he chanted an ode and passed among the crowd of people
the passage of the roads would be blocked by the crowded people.

In short, for
nearly five years he lived in Iraq and guided and instructed many
worshippers, and many jurists and scholars also gave their hands in
devotion to him secretly and some also because of their natural
jealousy, by the way of refusal renounced him and became his enemy,
moreover openly jibed, blasphemed and accused His Excellency and had a
declaration signed by some group of uninformed and ignorant people.
Since a group of people expressed their disagreement of His Excellency
to stay in Karbala, on the sound advice and judgment of Mr. Bahrol Ulum
and Agha Mirza Ali Saheb Riyaz he set out from Solimaniyeh towards
Mousel with the intention of pilgrimage to Mecca and in that region
resided. His Excellency was poisoned twice during his stay at the Holy
Shrines, since fate was not destined, the poison did not affect. Finally
in Mousel in the year 1212 (Hijri), passed away in accordance with the
digital meaning[1]
of the alphabets of the word QARIB and in the vicinity of the Shrine of
Hazrat Yunas (AS) was buried.

Numerous useful writings and many
treaties has been left from his writings in his memorial, such as the
treaties of Jammeol Asrar in the style of Golistan of Saadi, another: treaties on
the principles and branches of religious laws titled: Rowzatol Shohada, and an
exegesis on the blessed Surah Baqareh
in poetic style, another: Khotbatul Bayan,
another: Kobraye Manteq
in poetic style, another treaties in poetic style on the conditions of
Sayedol Shohada (AS), another two poetic collection of works, one, under
the pen name Nour Ali and the other suffice it to Nour only and another
Mathnavi of Jannatol Vesal.

Since the martyrdom of His Excellency Masoum Ali Shah
and the death of His Holiness Reza Ali Shah and the martyrdom of His
Excellency Nour Ali Shah were close to each other and the gap among them
was less than three years, therefore the contemporaries of His
Excellency were the same contemporaries of His Excellency Nour Ali Shah
and His Holiness Reza Ali Shah. From this aspect only the names of
authorized persons of His Excellency Nour Ali Shah are sufficed to be
mentioned:

1)Akhond Molla
Abdulsamad Hamedani

2)His Excellency
Ronaq Ali Shah

3)His Excellency Reza
Ali Shah Heravi

4)His Excellency
Mazhar Ali Shah Tooni

5)His Excellency
Nazar Ali Shah Naienee

6)His Excellency Ain
Ali Shah Heravi

7)His Excellency
Mozafar Ali Shah Kermani

8)His Excellency Sedq
Ali Shah Kermani

A glimpse at the generosity of
His Excellency:

At that time when His Excellency was resident in
Kerbala. The malicious spiteful and hostile enemy made out an extensive
list consisting of criticism and blasphemy and profanity against His
Excellency and had it signed by the well known jurists and had taken the
aforementioned extensive list to Najaf to be signed by Mr. Seyed Mahdi
Tabatabaie Bahrol Ulum. The aforementioned Seyed said, if I am
considered as a follower, then what signature and attestation you need
from me, and if I am considered as a religious jurisprudent, till this
extensive letter is not personally known to me, I cannot pass a decree.
I am in Najaf and you all in Kerbala and I do not know the person
concerned and have no acquaintance about his condition at this time, I
am enroute for pilgrimage to Kerbala and concerning this matter shall
make close investigations. This remark of Mr. Seyed made them silent and
kept them waiting. During Mr. Seyed’s visit to Kerbala through Molla
Abdulsamad Hamedani who was accepted by both sides and had channels to
both sides said: I want to see this person Nour Ali Shah, whom
collectively is accused and planned to be killed and want to acquaint
myself of his religious tenets, it would be good if you invite him one
night to your house, so that I can secretly come and meet him in the
night. Molla Abdulsamad explained this subject to His Excellency Nour
Ali Shah. He said: Don’t want to refuse him and assigned a night to meet
him. On the night of the mentioned date, Mr. Seyed Bahrol Ulum at the
time of entrance to the house of Molla Abdulsamad as a precaution
secretly says to the owner of the house, to arrange sitting positions in
such a way that he be not close to this person, and the Nargeela water
smoking pipe and food dishes also to be kept separated from each other.
Anyhow, after greetings, Seyed Bahrol Ulum says: Mr. Dervish, what is
this commotion and turmoil you have raised among the Muslims? His
Excellency Nour Ali Shah says: My name is not Mr. Dervish, it is Nour
Ali Shah. Seyed says: well, from where has Kingship reached you? Said:
For reason of dominion and authority on my soul and on all other souls.
Seyed says: From where is it known that you have sovereignty over all
souls? The owner of the house says: all of a sudden, seizure of
possession was manifested and the natural disposition of the Seyed was
changed and a strange amazing disposition was acquired, that speech was
incapable to describe it. That time Seyed Bahrol Ulum said to me: wait a
while outside the room, I have confidential conversation. I went out of
the house and sat down till I was summoned back. When for the second
time I brought the Nargeela water smoking pipe, Seyed Bahrol Ulum with
his own hands offered the Nargeela to His Excellency Nour Ali Shah, so
that His Excellency smoked first, afterwards, both ate food in one
plate. That night passed away, and Mr. Bahrol Ulum, another night
requested for a meeting with His Excellency Nour Ali Shah. He said: We
have no more work with him, if he has work, let him come. Then
henceforth, some nights, during the time when the streets were empty of
people, Mr. Bahrol Ulum and myself with a cloak pulled over our heads
would visit His Excellency.

And also in the book of Bustan al Siyaheh it has
been written that His Excellency has forecasted the rulership of Qajar
will be perished and a just government will rise that the fughara of
that time would live in ease and relief.

[1]
In Farsi/Arabic tradition, the people
used to assign a digital value to
alphabetic characters to transform the
date of death to the meaning of words
for better remembrance. This is called
as ARTICLE OF DATE.